They are from different countries. They are of different races. And they are of different ages.

But the people in this striking photo series all have one thing in common: poverty.

The series, titled 'The Story Of Hunger And Hope', captures men, women and children who are living in hunger - and those who are working to alleviate it.

It includes subjects from Philadelphia in America, Bengal and Kolkata in India, Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, and other places across the world.

Breathtaking: This captivating photo, from National Geographic and Feeding America's 'The Story of Hunger And Hope' series, shows a young child helping his father to transport a pile of crops down a road in New Delhi, India. It was taken by photographer Debajit Bose

Religious: This image, by Sudipta Maulik, shows dozens of people gathering for Annakut festival in Kolkata, India. They eagerly collect prepared rice - an offering of the Hindu God Lord Krishna, seen showering from above - to ensure food safety for the rest of the year

Heart-wrenching: This photo of Indian residents collecting bread from a food distribution service was taken by Sanchi Aggarwal. He said: 'I want to convey the message that how poverty still prevails in India. The intense looks in the eyes of the person conveys it all'

Aid: US-based photographer Octavio Duran captured this image of Franciscan Father Michael Duffy greeting a poverty-stricken guest at St Francis Inn kitchen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Inn has been serving meals to the neediest people and families since 1979

Poverty-stricken: The left-hand-side photo, by ParthaSarathi Nandi, shows a man selling coconuts alongside his son in the village of Joypur in Bengal, India. Meanwhile, the right-hand-side one, by Malgorzata Walkowska, shows a man harvesting vegetables in Poland

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Meanwhile, in another, immigrants from South East Asia tuck into Thanksgiving Lunch at a US frontier on the island of Guam in the western Pacific.

One photo sees an exhausted man take a rest in his tea stand at Calcutta Flower Market in Bengal, India, after waking up early to try to make a living.

And another shows Franciscan Father Michael Duffy greeting a poverty-stricken, but joyful, guest at a soup kitchen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tired: In order to create the series, National Geographic and Feeding America invited photographers globally to send in images. Above, this photo, by Ankit Mohonto, shows a young boy surrounded by misty skies as he returns home after a hard day's work in Assam, India

Celebration: This image, by Hiro Kurashina, portrays immigrants from South East Asia tucking into Thanksgiving Lunch at a US frontier on the island of Guam in the western Pacific. In addition to the traditional turkey and ham, ethnic food from the region was served

Touching: Photographer Nguyen Phuc titled this photo: 'Cooker in Black'. The female subject is seen preparing food on the anniversary of a death - a widespread tradition in Vietnam. In doing so, she hopes that her late loved one will bless her with all the luck in life

St. Francis Inn, which has been serving food to the neediest individuals and families in Philadelphia since 1979, provides more than 350 meals a day.

The photo series is particularly poignant in relation to the indulgent Christmas period that has just passed, a National Geographic spokesman said.

'These images remind us of the people in our hometowns who face hunger and of those who help those struggling,' the spokesman said. 'They show us the hopefulness too. There is a solution to hunger - and it starts with people feeding people.

'It’s about realizing that hunger affects people from all races and all ages - and from every corner of the globe. Hunger doesn’t care if you're from the wealthiest nation in the world or the poorest. It’s about realizing that together, we can overcome almost anything.'

Hard work: In this image, taken by Christina Sussman in Kolkata, India, a man is pictured taking a rest at his chai tea stand at Calcutta Flower Market. Ms Sussman wrote alongside the photo: 'There are people sleeping behind him, grasping those last few moments of sleep... This man, to me, symbolizes "Hunger and Hope." He is clearly tired, but he has gotten up to open up his shop and earn a living'

'Ending the hunger': This photo, by David Evans, was titled: 'Ending the Hunger Season in Madagascar'. It shows women stacking bundles of freshly harvested rice in preparation for the annual 'hunger season' when food supplies have run out and people die

According to figures collected by the World Food Programme , a shocking one in nine people globally do not have enough food to live a healthy life. Above, This image, captured by Agnieszka Napierala, shows three of four million Haitians living in Dominican Republic

According to figures collected by the World Food Programme, a staggering one in nine people globally do not have enough food to live a healthy life.

The majority of these 805million people live in developing countries - mostly, in Asia - where 13.5 per cent of the population is undernourished.

A selection of the photos in the series that specially depict hunger in America will shortly be published in a National Geographic book.